The Man Who Finally Learned
by TheNeatMonster
Summary: Lame title, but good story.  Alternate ending to the Season finale of Supernatural.  Cas not so evil.  Spoilers.  Dean/Cas.  Finished, maybe.  I might go crazy and add more later if you guys like it.
1. Chapter 1

Dean and Bobby crawled out of the broken Impala. They looked down the road as they saw a figure approaching.

"Sammy?" Dean breathed, sprinting towards his struggling brother. He caught him as Sam held onto his head.

"Dean, we g-gotta stop them," Sam said, wincing as he held onto his head.

"Dude, you are not goin' anywhere. You can barely stand," Dean said, keeping Sam upright.

A flutter of wings was heard and before they could say anything, two fingers were pressed against Sam's head. Sam stopped wincing as his pain was immediately alleviated. He stood up straight, blinking his eyes a few times.

"Uh, thanks, Cas," he said, awkwardly.

Dean stepped towards Castiel, grabbing his arm. "Cas, please, you can't do this. It's only gonna end bad, you know that."

Castiel looked at Dean with tired eyes. "I know," he murmured. He reached into his coat and pulled out a piece of paper. "This Enochian verse shuts the gateway to Purgatory. I obtained it from Eleanor after Crowley left." He turned toward Bobby at that moment. "I am truly sorry she had to die," he said, softly.

Bobby nodded, looking irritated, but more confused. "Great, so why did we have to get this point? Why couldn't you just leave Purgatory closed?"

Castiel looked down. "It must open, but the souls will not be released." He looked up again. "I'm going to push Crowley and Raphael in once it's opened. You have to immediately recite this verse in order to close it, sealing them both in Purgatory."

Dean looks at him, confused, but slightly relieved. "Wait, what happened to the whole, 'I must do this or Raphael will win,' or whatever? You just change your mind all of a sudden?"

Castiel looked into Dean's eyes. "No. You did."

Dean was about to speak again, but Cas jerked his head toward the building. "We have to go. It's starting."

With that, he grabbed Sam and Dean in one hand and Bobby in the other, transporting directly outside the door that led to Crowley and Raphael. Cas turned to them, indicating for them to enter, before disappearing. They looked at each other before slowly and quietly stepping inside.

Crowley and Raphael were standing side by side, facing a wall with an intricate symbol painted on it with blood. Just as they were inside, the door shut, and Crowley whipped around to look at them. He gestured with his hand, sending the boys flying down the stairs.

"Sorry, boys, kind of in the middle of something. Won't be a minute," he said, smirking. He turned back towards the wall and began chanting the spell to open the gates to Purgatory. Raphael stood, unflinching, waiting.

Crowley finished to recitation and everything seemed to shift as the wall inside of the symbol began to crumble into itself. Crowley looked at Raphael, who seemed to have the ghost of a smile on her lips, when a flutter of wings was drowned out by the sound of the gateway opening.

Castiel stood in front of the two, and with all of his strength, he grabbed their coats with each hand and tossed them behind him, into Purgatory. Raphael lashed out with the angel blade, which embedded itself into Cas' shoulder. He shouted, but didn't stop. He thrust them both in, then whipped around and used his power to keep them blocked for a short time. Light emitted from his hands and into the gateway, as he shouted, "Now!"

Sam took the paper and began reciting the inscription to shut the door. Bobby stared at the gate, begging it to shut. Dean was staring at the large blade protruding from the angel. His eyes scanned Cas as he held his ground, trembling slightly. Dean shut his eyes and began to pray. Actually pray.

After what seemed like forever, Sam finally finished the verse, and Purgatory was sealed. Immediately after it closed, Cas dropped his arms and fell sideways, crashing to the ground.

"CAS!" Dean shouted as he ran over and pulled Cas' body into his lap. "Cas, come on, wake up," he said, shaking the angel.

Cas gulped in a struggled breath, grasping at the blade that was still stuck inside him. Dean grabbed at his hand so he wouldn't hurt himself. He looked up at Sam and Bobby. "Go to the car and get the first aid kit."

Sam looked at Bobby, then back at Dean before saying," Dean, I don't think—"

"Now!" Dean yelled, looking at Sam directly, before turning his gaze back to Cas.

Sam and Bobby nodded before taking off. Dean held onto Cas, whispering, "It's gonna be fine. You're gonna be ok."

Cas turned his half-lidded eyes to Dean's face. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, eyes glistening. "I'm so sorry, Dean. I failed you."

Dean cupped Cas' face, looking him dead in the eye. "Like hell, you did! Cas, you are probably the best being I've ever met. You could never fail me, Cas. If anything, I failed you."

Cas' mouth twitched into a small grin. "Always blaming yourself," he muttered, eyes falling closed. Light and blood were pouring from the wound in his shoulder.

"Cas? Cas!" Dean said, raising his voice and shaking Cas slightly. Cas started awake, gasping as pain shot through his body. "I'm sorry for letting it get so far. I thought-I thought it was the only way. I had to save everyone. Had to save you," he slurred slightly.

Dean shook his head. "You did more than enough, man. You did save us. Saved me. Again. Like you always do. Everything's fine, now. Everything's gonna be ok," he said, clutching Cas tighter, willing Sam and Bobby to move faster.

Cas shifted, leaning his head against Dean's chest. "I've never…been held like this before," he mumbled.

Dean tensed up. He had never been so touchy feely with the angel, but it just felt right, like he was supposed to be doing this. His shoulders relaxed when he heard Cas mumble, "S'nice."

"Hey, you ain't fallin' asleep on me, are you? You gotta stay awake, Cas. We're gonna fix you up and you're gonna be fine, ok?" Dean said, holding the side of Cas' face in his hand. Cas leaned into the touch, his eyes fluttering open. He looked at Dean. "Dean," he said, his voice cracking slightly.

"Cas?" Dean replied, looking into the watery blue eyes, tears stinging the sides of his own eyes.

Cas looked mournfully up at Dean, before bringing his hand to the back of Dean's head, pulling him down until his lips met Castiel's.

Dean's eyes flew open as Cas' slammed shut. It lasted only a few seconds and then Cas let his hand fall back to his side, his eyes dropping to his lap. "Sorry. Again," he murmured.

Dean was still frozen, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. He closed it, then opened it again, then closed it again. He looked at Cas. "…why?" he whispered.

Cas blinked heavily before returning his eyes to Dean's. "Because I have always loved you. I understand if you do not share the same feelings. I'm…me, after all, but if I am to die, then—"

He was cut off with Dean's lips crushing his. This kiss was not so short and much more firm, rather than hesitant and shy. Dean released his lips after a while and leaned his forehead against Cas'. "You are NOT gonna die," he said firmly. "I may not know what this is between us. Hell, I didn't even see this as a possibility, but if I'm gonna figure this out, then you need to hang around and figure it out with me, ok?"

Cas looked sadly at Dean as his wound grew brighter. "Shut your eyes, Dean," he whispered.

Dean shook his head. "No, you're gonna be fine, Cas. Fight it."

Cas touched Dean's cheek. "You have to shut your eyes."

Dean looked at Cas and decided it was either now or never, so he grabbed the angel blade and ripped it from Cas' shoulder. Cas let out a strangled yelp as Dean slammed his jacket against the wound, stopping the blood flow.

"You ain't gettin' out that easy," he growled, looking up to see Sam and Bobby burst through the door.

They ran down, sliding next to Dean and Cas. Dean ripped off the angel's shirt, replacing the jacket with the gauze from the kit. He stifled the blood enough for Sam to sew up the wound and them to get out of that basement. Cas stopped being responsive once Sam finished the patch job, so Dean picked him up and they went outside. Sam found a car and had it up and running in a matter of second. Dean sat in the back with Cas lying on his lap, Sam driving and Bobby in the passenger seat. The car was silent, save for the occasional murmurs of, "You're gonna be fine. You're gonna be ok," coming from the back seat.


	2. Chapter 2

It was dark, but he could feel pain. Castiel tried to open his eyes, but nothing was happening. Far off in the distance, he heard a voice saying his name. He wanted to go to it, but he was so tired and he just wanted to stay here. So tired.

"CAS!" Dean shouted, as the body in his arms started to tremble with shivers and his breath was coming out in fast short pants.

"Cas, come on, man, you're gonna be fine, but if you keep twitching, you're gonna pull the stitches," Dean said, trying to calm the angel enough to where he wasn't a danger to himself.

"Drive faster, Sammy."

Sam gunned it down the back roads and finally made it to a highway, where they could find somewhere to stay. "How's he doin'," he asked softly, glancing at Bobby, who gave a weary look back to him.

"Not good, Sam," Dean said even softer, holding onto Cas like he was a lifeline.

They made it to a motel and Sam went to get two rooms, while Bobby helped Dean lift Cas out of the car. They made it to the door just as Sam did, where he fumbled with the keys and finally got the room open.

They laid Cas down gently on the bed, and froze. They had no idea what to do. They didn't know how to fix an angel. All they could do was what they did for humans and just hope for the best. Sam tended to the wound, while Dean went to get a cloth and water.

Dean didn't come back for a while, so Sam got up to get him, leaving Bobby with Cas.

"Alright, idjit, listen up," he started, sitting in a chair by the edge of Cas' bed. "You messed up big time. And when I say messed, I mean really screwed the pooch," he paused, looking hard at Castiel. "But," he continued, "you had a helluva redemption back there and I couldn't be more happy that Purgatory is closed and those two dicks were sucked in with it." Bobby swallowed, finding it hard to believe he was getting this upset over the damn angel. "You know, only family can do this sort of thing, mess up so hard they have to nearly kill themselves to make up for the mistake. Even when they don't need to. You've still got us, Cas." He paused again. "We're still your family, because family forgives, and learns to forget." He stopped, staring at his hands. "But you made up for it, so you can come back now." He glanced back at the bathroom where Sam went to find Dean. "I don't know how that boy will be if you don't come back," he said softer.

"Dean?" Sam asked as he was going toward the bathroom. He stood in the doorway, looking at Dean's hunched shoulders as he leaned forward with his hands on the sink. Sam sighed, sympathy radiating off of him.

"Dean, I know this is hard for you. Hell, I'm having a hard enough time as it is and I'm not even in love with the guy."

Dean stiffened, not expecting that.

Sam stepped forward, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder. "I may be stupid, but I'm not stupid," he said with a small grin. Dean chuckled softly, choking on a sob that was threatening to rip itself from him.

"He can't die, Sammy," Dean rasped, holding on to the little self-control he had left. "He did the right thing, right? I mean, that seemed like a pretty awesome plan and it totally beat the hell out of his other plan, so why—" he cut off, dropping his head again. "Why does he have to suffer?" He turned and looked at Sam through watery eyes. "Why does everyone I love end up dying?" he said hoarsely.

Sam's eyes teared up and he stepped closer to his brother. "I'm still here," he said softly, placing an arm around his brother, "Cas could pull through. He's pretty strong, you said it yourself." He pulled back, blinking away the unshed tears. "But he needs you now, so we need to go back in there." Sam looked back towards where Bobby sat next to Cas. "Cas might not want to wake up next to Bobby," he said, huffing a small laugh. Dean grinned sadly, but followed his brother with the cloth and bowl of water, relieving Bobby of his position next to Cas.

It was dark, but the pain was receding. Castiel felt a cool hand on his face and leaned into it, relishing in its comfort. He slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the haze, to see someone he was truly not expecting.

"Balthazar," he croaked, immediately being overcome with guilt.

"Oye, prick," Balthazar quipped, a small smile tugging at his lips. "First off, no you aren't dead. You're just spending some quality time with your good pal Balthy while you attempt to pull yourself out of this rut. And second of all, let go of that guilt. It's one of the things keeping you here."

Castiel blinked again, not sure if he was dreaming or hallucinating or what, but it wasn't making him feel any better.

"I don't deserve to live," he said softly, "I killed you. I killed you for nothing. Because I thought you had betrayed me, but you were only trying to save me from myself." His despair was clear when he looked hard at Balthazar with glistening eyes. "I am so sorry," he said slowly, but firmly. "You did not deserve this fate."

Balthazar looked sadly at his brother, placing a hand on Cas' head and gently petting his hair. "Stop," he said forcefully. Castiel stopped speaking, but looked mournfully at Balthazar.

"I'm not saying what you did was right, Cas, nor am I saying I fully forgive you yet. But you were in a shit state of mind and I technically was lying to you and going behind your back," he said, smirking slightly, "so I looked like a threat to you. Listen, I know you're beating yourself up about this enough for the both of us, but the bottom line, Cas, is that you have to live. You have your faults, but they only made you stronger and you've learned, I know you have. You also have this amazing gift that keeps others from remaining angered with you," he mutters, jokingly. Cas tries to huff out a laugh, but it's more of a choked sob.

"What I'm saying is, you have someone waiting for you. Actually, you have a small family waiting for you and they would really be upset if you didn't return. Forgiveness comes with time, but you do deserve it. Just stop being so hard on yourself. Hell, Sammy there was forgiven and look at the history he has," he finished lightly.

Cas frowned. "But you-I can't-you," he stammered.

"Quit fretting about me," Balthazar said firmly.

Cas looked down. "It's not that easy," he murmured.

Balthazar shook his head. "I know, you really do belong with the Winchesters. The amount of times you beat yourselves up and blame yourselves for everything is astonishing." Cas shot him a glare, clearly conveying that it was his fault. "Just try not to feel too bad about it. And if it makes you feel better, I give you full permission to attempt to bring me back."

Cas smiled lightly. "I will do anything and everything in my power to resurrect you, Balthazar," he said, looking the other angel directly in the eyes.

Balthazar smiled and ruffled his hair. "Good, now I think there's somewhere else you need to be."

As Cas faded into the darkness again, he heard one last thing that made him smirk and roll his eyes.

"Those boys are going to have the hottest sex."

Dean sat in the quiet, gently dabbing the cloth on the angel's face. When he was done he tossed it back in the bowl and began to pace in the small motel room.

"Man, I really hate you for doing this," he muttered. "You know how annoying it is when someone says they have to tell you something, but at the last minute they shake their head and say I can't tell you? Yeah, this is worse."

He moved back to the edge of the bed. The silent and still body was horrifyingly similar to that of his brother's after losing the battle with Jake.

"I don't think I can take you dying, Cas," he whispered. He really hated how emotional he was getting. It was making him angry. So, he sat back down and opted for silence, keeping a trained eye on Castiel.

The sun had barely risen when Cas finally opened his eyes. He took in his surroundings. A motel, a bloody rag in a bowl, and sleeping hunter, slouched in his chair, half lying on the bed Cas was on. He smiled minutely, staring at Dean in wonder. How he was going to forgive him, Cas would never know. But he was told to come back and he was going to make up for everything, he silently vowed to himself.

Dean slowly shifted awake, looking up to find half-lidded blue eyes watching him.

"Cas!" he breathed, shooting up and moving closer to him. "Jesus, man, you really scared the shit out of me. Are you ok?"

Castiel stared at Dean with a confused look on his face. There was only love and protection in his voice.

"Cas, what's wrong," Dean asked worriedly.

Cas shook his head, breaking their stare. "You," he began, swallowing around his dry throat, "you never cease to amaze me."

It was Dean's turn to look confused. "Um, what?" he said eloquently.

Cas huffed a small laugh. "You are still here, after everything I've done to you. After everything I destroyed. You are still here."

Dean cocked his head to the side. "Hey, it's not like you ate a bunch of souls out of Purgatory. You got it closed and got rid of Crowley and Raphael at the same time without doing that." He tilted his head and smirked. "I'd say that's a pretty big redemption."

Cas frowned. "But I lied to you. I betrayed you."

"And I betrayed you, Cas," Dean interjected. "You asked me to follow you, to help you this one time, and I wasn't there for you."

"Because you knew I was wrong. You were right. You're always right," Cas said, looking down.

Dean shook his head. "Not always. You had to beat some sense into me once. Figures if you were gonna be part of this family it was gonna happen to you sooner or later. You just got a much worse beating," Dean finished sighing.

Cas was silent for a bit. He was still considered family. He bowed his head and smiled a full smile, eyes welling with unshed tears.

"For what it's worth, I am deeply sorry for the pain I caused," he said almost silently.

Dean looked at him for a long time. "Hey," he said softly, lifting Cas' head, "I've forgiven for a lot worse. This'll heal in time."

Cas' smiled again, shocked by his surprising display of emotion, but not really feeling the need to control it.

"Oh," Dean said suddenly, "I almost forgot."

Cas cocked his head to the side and was about to question him, when Dean's lips suddenly covered his. His eyes shot open and then slid slowly closed as he relished the feeling.

Dean pulled back after a few seconds. He smirked nervously. "Yeah, so…that," he said, as if it explained everything.

Cas smirked back. "We should explore 'that.'"


	3. Chapter 3

Dean laughed out loud at that. "Ok, man, when you can lift yourself up, then maybe we'll explore that, but for now you need to rest up. You went through a hell of a lot of shit yesterday," he said grudgingly, despising being such a nice guy. Damn his chivalry.

Cas pushed himself upright almost immediately, his head only spinning slightly. He looked Dean directly in the eye and said, "I have already begun to heal. I will be fine. I have waited 3 years for you and I'll be damned if I have to wait any longer."

With that, he grabbed Dean and pulled him on the bed, resulting in a not so manly yelp from Dean as he fell over the angel. He shifted so he was straddling Cas, an arm on each side of his head. He stared at him for a moment, unsure of what he wanted to do, but when Cas smirked and slid his hands up his sides, he lost any coherent thought he had and ducked down to capture Cas' lips with a kiss.

"You better be telling the truth," he mumbled into the kiss, "I don't wanna get halfway through this just to have you pass out on me."

Cas responded by flipping him over and reversing their positions, pinning Dean's hands above his head. "I think I will be fine," he said, the same devilish smirk gracing his face.

Dean shook his head and laughed. "You snarky bastard," he said, as he pulled him back down for another kiss.

Castiel had to admit. He was healing a lot slower than he thought he would, but he really didn't care. He'd take the pain and the occasional dizziness. This was finally happening and he was 100% on board. Dean shifted his hips upward and Cas groaned into the kiss. He slotted his knee in between Dean's legs and rocked his hips down to relieve some of the tension on his growing erection.

Dean gasped as Cas' knee situated itself against his crotch and he thrust upwards again. He desperately needed them to no longer have clothes. As if reading his mind, Cas took that time to sit up and pull off his coat. He winced slightly at the tug on his wounded shoulder, but Dean saw. He immediately sat up and slowly helped Cas out of his coat and shirt.

Once his upper body was bare, Cas grabbed the hem of Dean's shirt, all but ripping it off him. He feverishly began kissing him once the shirt was out of sight, hands sliding up smooth, flawless flesh.

Dean leaned back on his elbows as Cas explored his body. Cas' lips left his mouth and started trailing over the rest of him, down his neck, across his chest, and finally down his stomach. Dean's breath hitched as Cas began to unbutton his pants.

Cas froze for a second. He had no idea what he was doing. Sure, he'd seen sex before. He's been alive for over thousands of years, he's not ignorant. But seeing and doing are two different things. He looks up at Dean, who studies him until his eyebrows soften and a small smirk appears on his lips.

"You'll be fine, Cas," he said lowly, if not a little rushed. "I'm sorta new at this myself."

A little more encouraged, Castiel slowly dragged away Dean's pants and was hit with an even stronger wave of lust at seeing his naked body laying before him. Just as he had made him. Perfect.

While Cas stared at him, Dean sat up and, without breaking eye contact, removed the rest of the angel's clothes as well. When he finished, he was shoved backward into his original position and ravished with kisses, hands returning to explore his body once again.

Cas felt a hand slide up his abdomen and brush across his nipple as another hand slipped behind him and firmly grabbed his ass. Moaning, he ground his hips down into Dean's, eliciting a harsher moan from the man as their cocks brushed against each other. It was a pleasure Cas had never known. He continued this motion, gasping every time he fiercely snapped his hips.

Dean threw his head back and gasped. "Uhnnn, Cas," he growled, snatching his lips back into a kiss. Their tongues battled as Cas picked up his rhythm. Moaning into his mouth, Dean grabbed Cas' hips, thrusting his own upwards. He didn't know what to do himself, but this felt fantastic and that was good enough for now. He started thrusting his hips harder, faster, seeking out that friction that felt so fucking good right now.

Cas inhaled sharply and threw his head back, hands clawing at Dean's chest as his hips sped up as well. He felt a warm sensation pooling inside him and just as he was about to inform Dean, the man grabbed both of their dicks with one hand and began pumping his fist. Cas cried out, head returning to meet Dean's stare. His own hand covered Dean's and they pounded into both of their fists.

"Uhhh Dean, Dean, Dean," Cas began to chant with each thrust. Suddenly, the pooling sensation in Cas exploded and he let out a hoarse cry of Dean's name as he rode out his orgasm.

Feeling Cas let go was more than enough to send Dean over the edge as well and he moaned Cas' name as his release hit him full force.

Cas sat on top of Dean for a few moments, gasping for breath, before he slowly toppled over next to Dean on the bed. He left an arm draped over his chest. As his eyes began to close as exhaustion took over, he muttered, "You were right. Maybe we should've waited until I was better rested."

Dean huffed a laugh and turned towards Cas. "Get some rest, idiot. I'll be right here when you get up."

Fighting sleep just a little longer, Cas opened his eyes and leaned up towards Dean, giving him his most passionate, grateful kiss of the day. "I'm holding you to that," he said with a subtle grin.

Dean grinned back and settled down next to him. Yeah, he could get used to this.

And if they woke to a note on the door saying the next town over could hear them scrawled in Sam's handwriting, they couldn't give a rat's ass. Hell, they took that as a compliment and a challenge for future endeavors.

END


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